Brighton V Derby at Amex Stadium : Match Preview

Brighton will again be without defenders Bruno and Inigo Calderon for the visit of Derby.

Bruno (Achilles) and Calderon (knee) are edging closer to fitness but will not be ready in time so midfielder David Lopez will continue to deputise at right-back.

Winger Will Buckley was an unused substitute in the FA Cup win over Newcastle last weekend after a hamstring injury and should be involved again.

Tomasz Kuszczak will return in goal in place of Casper Ankergren, but otherwise boss Gus Poyet could stick with the side which sank the Magpies for the second year running.

Spanish playmaker Vicente has returned to training following a lengthy spell out with a thigh injury but he needs a reserve game first.

Derby are deciding whether to include Jamie Ward in the squad.

Ward, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury for the past three months, played for almost an hour in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Tuesday afternoon.

The diminutive forward suffered no ill-effects and trained on Wednesday. He will do so again on Friday, when manager Nigel Clough will make a decision on his inclusion.

"We'll see how he feels and then take a view with regards to him travelling," said the Rams boss. "We do have to take into account it might not be great for him travelling such a long distance on the team coach, but we'll be guided by how he feels."

Clough will definitely be without Craig Bryson, though, as the midfielder continues to struggle with a knee injury.

The Scot has been nursing the problem in recent weeks and has sat out the last three games.

"Craig has not improved as much as we would have hoped," said Clough. "He keeps doing a certain amount of running up to a point where he feels it. He says it is restricting him quite a bit at the moment.

"It was always going to be a two-to-six-week job, his knee, so it might be another week or so."

Forwards Theo Robinson and Nathan Tyson staked their claims for recalls to the starting XI in midweek with two goals apiece in the behind-closed-doors friendly.